A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the the security of a free State,the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,

The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense with the home.

In 2010, the Supreme Court in McDonald v. City of Chicago ruled that Amendment Fourteens Due Process Clause incorporates Amendment II, which means States have to protect and defend an individual’s right to keep and bear arms.